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Cameron and the Girls Edward Averett Books

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Cameron and the Girls Edward Averett Books

This book was a really great read. You rarely ever see books from the perspective of children, especially not mentally ill children. It was great educational wise. A few parts felt exaggerated but over all it was a great story of a boy battling his own mind.


Tags : Amazon.com: Cameron and the Girls (9780547612157): Edward Averett: Books,Edward Averett,Cameron and the Girls,Clarion Books,054761215X,Health & Daily Living - Diseases, Illnesses & Injuries,Social Themes - Dating & Sex,Social Themes - Depression,Love;Fiction.,Mental illness;Fiction.,Schizophrenia;Fiction.,Children: Young Adult (Gr. 7-9),Fiction,Love,Mental illness,Schizophrenia,YOUNG ADULT FICTION,YOUNG ADULT FICTION Health & Daily Living Diseases, Illnesses & Injuries,YOUNG ADULT FICTION Social Themes Dating & Sex,YOUNG ADULT FICTION Social Themes Depression,schizophrenia;schizophreniform;depression;contemporary

Cameron and the Girls Edward Averett Books Reviews

I greatly enjoyed this book. I was instantly drawn into Cam’s story. I couldn’t put it down. I found parts of this book to be funny. The parents need to find the reason or the crazy people in the family to blame for their son’s condition was humorous. The mother’s guilt, dad’s attitude, and sister Beth’s shallow teenage concerns are all very realistic elements. I love the characters and my heart goes out to Cam as he tries to blend and survive school. The personalities that battle in his mind are frightening, fascinating realities to many with this disorder. I highly recommend this story. It was compelling and appropriate for teen readers and adults alike.
CAMERON AND THE GIRLS tells the story of a fourteen year old boy from Washington state who is living with schizophreniform disorder (apparently a more likely curable form of schizophrenia). Cameron hears three voices in his head which are delineated in the text by the use of different fonts. He calls the reasonable good advice giving voice "The Professor". A newer male voice that is more aggressive and who sometimes urges Cameron to act out is dubbed "The Other Guy". And his favorite voice is "The Girl" who in his imagination looks a lot like Nina a depressed girl in his special education class for kids with emotional needs.

Cameron stops taking his medications in large part because he wants to continue to hear "The Girl" as meds silence the imaginary voices. He does stop taking them for awhile but not with good results. CAMERON AND THE GIRLS is an interesting and realistic look at one teenager and his family's experience living with a serious mental illness.
The Cameron of the title is a young teen diagnosed with schizophreniform disorder. This is a diagnosis similar to schizophrenia (symptoms such as oral and visual hallucinations and disordered thinking) but in which the symptoms haven't been present long enough for the schizophrenia diagnosis. The prognosis for schizophreniform disorder is uncertain the symptoms might go away on their own, or might worsen. Cameron's parents struggle with having a child like this, and encourage him to take the medication he's prescribed to control the symptoms. As with many people diagnosed with various mental illnesses, Cameron has moments when he thinks he doesn't need the medication either that he's "cured" or when he finds the medication clouds his mind and inhibits his imagination. And there are the voices he hears when off the medication. They are often helpful and encouraging, so what's not to like? Unfortunately the longer he's off his meds, the less helpful and more intrusive the voices become, and it isn't long before his interactions with the characters in his head affect his interactions with the real people in his life.

I didn't love the writing style; it was as if the author was trying to educate about the disorder in a fictional way. What I did like was that is made knowledge of this disease accessible to those who haven't experienced anything like this. Hopefully it instills understanding, tolerance, and patience of those who have mental illnesses.
Cameron, 14 is a young man with a mental illness. He has schizophreniform disorder, a minor form of schizophrenia considered part of a subgroup of that umbrella. He relies on Risperdal to function. Without his meds, he has visual, auditory and even tactual hallucinations.

Puberty and mental illness is from all accounts a difficult mix. Cameron has hit puberty with a vengeance. He decides to conduct his own little experiment by not taking his medication. His mind reverts to the hallucinations, most of which are auditory. Three distinct voices inhabit his mind - one he calls the Professor, an eloquent and articulate voice who gives him advice. Then there is the Other Guy who is at mental war with his favorite voice, called simply The Girl.

Cameron attends a special class in his Lexington, Washington State school. His older sister Beth, 16 often covers for Cameron and on occasion has her boyfriend Dylan drive Cameron to school with them. Beth is very protective of her brother, even lying to their parents about his medication withdrawal. Cameron even states that in the State of Washington, once a person reaches the age of 13 they can declare legal independence and that includes their course of mental health treatment. Cameron's parents and doctor naturally disagree. Whenever Cameron has an especially bad episode, he is brought in to his psychiatrist, Dr. Simons for an injection. When his mental illness spirals WAAAY out of control, he is hospitalized.

During his stable periods, he manages in his special class. His classmates include kids with mental illness, ADD/ADHD and depression. It is not uncommon for pupils in that class to have periods of absences due to hospitalization. There are only 2 girls in his class, a rabbit-like girl named Amy and a pretty girl named Nina. Cameron's hallucinatory Girl character is based on Nina, except his image of the Girl is one of short hair, unlike Nina.

Cameron is comfortable with his psychosis, up to a point. He finds the imaginary voices in his mind comforting and a form of company. He loves it when the Girl's voice enters his mind. Over time he realizes his mental illness is a trade-off he has no control over which voices and imaginary sensations he will experience. The meds "make the voices go away," but sadly, he can't pick and choose the ones he wants to keep.

Puberty and mental illness catch up with Cameron and he and Nina form a friendship. Whereas meds help Cameron despite his refusal to take them, Nina is prescribed an antidepressant that makes her suicidal. (Some antidepressants can cause "thoughts of suicide" in young people if the prescription is wrong for them. Commercials advertizing psychotropic medications including antidepressants include that warning. If that is the case, the patient is encouraged to let their doctor know so that the medication can be changed.) He tells people he has a girlfriend, meaning the imaginary Girl in his hallucinations. Over time, he and Nina are so caught into their maelstrom of mental illness that their lives collide like meteors before spinning out of orbit. Cameron has a family that watches him like a kettle of hawks. Nina has been abandoned by her single mother. They both complement one another and somehow meet one another's mental and social needs. It is then that they both have to make some difficult decisions.

The Surfaris' 1960 hit "Image of a Girl" could well be Cameron's theme song.
I agree with the first review that Ed Averett has taken a unique point of view and has raised so many questions, not only about
the psychology of cameron, but on how we treat him.
Here 's a fascinating 6 minute TED talk by a young woman who experienced "voices" ---and the unusual result!
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This book was a really great read. You rarely ever see books from the perspective of children, especially not mentally ill children. It was great educational wise. A few parts felt exaggerated but over all it was a great story of a boy battling his own mind.